The Bad Guys
by Orange Lantern Tsume
Summary: [Complete] When the Masters of Evil arrive in the city, the Teen Titans are in for one of the toughest fights of their lives. R&R!
1. Bring On The Bad Guys

The Bad Guys 

By Blackheart Syaoran 

AUTHOR: First Titans fic, and hopefully a good one!  

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Chapter 1: Bring On The Bad Guys 

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"San Francisco?  I was hoping for something better.  Man, what a rip-off!"  

"Save it, Creel," growled Baron Zemo as he strolled down the sidewalk, taking everything in with his eyes.  They were currently hidden behind a mask, which was part of a rather horrendous costume.  But then again, with his reputation, Zemo didn't need fashion advice.  

"Kang had better not be screwing with us," the Shocker said darkly.  "I'll fry every cell in his body."  

Just to prove his point, the Shocker aimed his fists at a nearby car and unleashed an energy blast.  The attack tore into the vehicle, exploding it in a display of smoke and flame.  

"Do relax, dear Shocker," smiled the Enchantress.  "Kang knows not to mess with the Baron.  Even one so potent as the Conqueror must eventually realize that he cannot defeat his enemies on his own."  

"Quite true, Amora," Zemo agreed.  "Which is part of the reason that there are a good number of you.  With anything less than overwhelming numbers, our cause would crumble.  It is a good thing I thought to make more Masters of Evil than there are Avengers."  

"Ya got that right," Creel grinned malevolently.  "Destroying their lousy mansion was fun."  

"You got that right, Crusher honey," smiled Titania as she put her arm through his.  "I hope the heroes here don't fold so easily.  I enjoy a good match."  

"Could you two please stop the romance crap?" Blizzard asked.  "I get sick enough when you watch those god-awful soap operas, Titania."  

"Hey!" Creel snarled, rounding on the other man.  "You want to say that to _me?_" 

Blizzard cast a quick glance around, and saw the other Masters wouldn't support him in a fight against either Creel or Titania.  

"No," he told Creel.  

"Enough!" Zemo snapped.  "I brought you all together to fight our enemies, not yourselves!  Now, since we actually bothered to prepare for this little endeavor, fan out and locate anyone who seems like a superhero.  Use what brains you have, because we do _not_ want to alienate our fellow supervillains."  When the others nodded, he ordered, "Go!" 

The Masters of Evil dispersed, with Yellowjacket and Whirlwind taking to the air.  

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"Oh yeah!  Who's bad?  Who's the man?  Who's—losing?  No fair!" Beast Boy cried indignantly as Cyborg's racer passed his own, winning the game.  "Dude, I want a rematch!" 

Cyborg grinned.  "Really?  You want to lose that bad?"  

"I'll win this time," Beast Boy vowed, picking up the controller.  "Just bring it."  

"Oh, it's been brought, and you lost it," Cyborg said calmly.  

The doors to the common room parted, and a high-spirited Starfire entered.  She moved to the couch before speaking.  

"Good morning, my friends!  I am most pleased to announce to you Robin's decree!" 

These words caused an immediate cessation of all gaming, and even managed to catch Raven's attention.  

Continuing, Starfire said, "We are to have breakfast at our favorite pizza place!" 

Beast Boy stared at her.  "That's a decree?  We eat there all the time, Star!" 

The alien girl blinked.  "Oh.  Perhaps I misheard what Robin said."  

"That's okay," the Boy Wonder informed her as he entered the room from the doors opposite to those she had entered through.  

"Does anyone have any money for pizza?" Cyborg asked.  "I mean, we're superheroes and all, and sometimes deserve free pizzas, but we still gotta mostly pay for them, right?"  

"I have never seen us pay for our food, Robin," Starfire said.  "Did we?  It would be very wrong if we did not."  

"Relax, Star, I took care of all those pizzas," Robin assured his friend.  "I paid for them all."  

Starfire lit up with joy.  "That is most fortunate!"  

Cyborg cut in: "Man, nobody wants tofu pizza.  It's like the plague; they don't want it."  

"Some people do!" Beast Boy insisted.  "Ever hear of bringing out the dead?"  

"I remember that movie," Cyborg grinned, knowing it would anger the smaller, green-skinned Titan.  

"Not the movie, dude!" Beast Boy yelled, almost pulling his hair out in frustration.  Couldn't Cyborg understand tofu?  

"Ahem," Raven interrupted.  "Maybe we should just go and get a slice, each to our own liking?"  

There was a brief silence, and then— 

"Man, why didn't I think of that?" Cyborg asked no one in particular.  

"Probably 'cause the power of tofu clogged your brain," Beast Boy muttered.  

"Quiet, Mr. Martian."  

"Guys, come on," Robin said, waving a hand toward the door.  "It's time to eat."  

Ten minutes later, the Teen Titans were seated at their favorite pizza place, where their very first supervillain showdown had occurred against a group called the Hive.  Of course, the fact that they were sitting in plain sight of any hotshot villain didn't bother them; in fact, it was easier for them to find the bad guys if the bad guys came right to them.  Like fishing, isn't it?  

"Okay, guys, what do we get this time?" Beast Boy asked.  "Anyone up for tofu pizza?" 

"Man, I told you, nobody likes your tofu garbage," Cyborg groaned.  "And Raven gave a perfectly good suggestion for each of us to get a slice to our liking."  

"Can either of you remember anything for more than thirty seconds?" Raven asked, sounding irritated.  

"Yeah," Robin agreed.  "Especially when it comes to important things like what kind of food we need."  

"You know, I hardly think food is as important as fighting the bad guys," Beast Boy commented.  "I mean, think about it: We may face tough opponents sometimes, but we always win, right?  We're unstoppable!  Nobody beats the Teen Titans!"  

Robin's eyebrow was cocked slightly higher than the others'.  "Uh, Beast Boy, I know we're good, but I wouldn't say we're invincible or anything."  

"But we are, man!" Beast Boy insisted.  "No matter who we're fighting, we ain't never gonna lose!  Bring on the bad guys!  We can take 'em!"  

What the Titans didn't know was that, only a few feet away, hovering next to some potted plants, a tiny Yellowjacket was listening in on their conversation.  Smirking, she opened a com channel to Baron Zemo.  

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When his communicator beeped, Zemo answered it immediately.  He knew full well that any superheroes in this universe might be out on some grand-scale mission, but he was still hopeful.  "Report."  

"Sir, it's Yellowjacket," the woman stated.  "I've found what we're looking for.  There are five costumed superheroes getting ready to order a meal at a pizza place."  

Zemo frowned.  A pizza place?  What was so special about such a spot?  "Keep an eye on them.  Track their every move, but do not lose the group itself for an individual."  

"Roger.  I have their conversation recorded for playback."  

"Give me a second to open channels to the others."  He punched a few commands into the communicator, allowing the rest of the Masters to hear.  "Go ahead, Yellowjacket."  

The woman transmitted the recorded conversation, and when it was over, Zemo gave orders.  

"Everyone, key in on Yellowjacket's signal.  She has these 'Teen Titans' under surveillance.  Once you arrive at the pizza place, wait for my order to attack, and do not let yourself be seen."  

After receiving affirmatives, he said, "Enchantress, when you get there, meet with me.  I have plans for your talents."  

"As you wish," the sorceress said.  

"Move in."  

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Beast Boy loosed a mighty belch, which caused Robin's hair to sway slightly.  "Oh man, that was _so good_."  

"So…good…_nothing!_" Cyborg gasped.  For a second, he seemed to be in pain.  

And then he unleashed a belch of truly biblical proportion: Windows shook, a gust kicked up, and Raven faintly heard car alarms go off in the distance.  

There was a heavy silence, which Robin broke.  

"Okay, you two are definitely not getting pizza for breakfast for a while now."  

"_WHAT?_" they both gasped.  "_What do you mean, no pizza?_"  

"I would think it obvious," Starfire said.  "The two of you sound like Bargonian mugbuglers in mating season."  

The others stared at her before Robin broke that silence as well.  

"Actually, Star," he explained, "it's because they should at least excuse themselves after belching so much.  It's not like I'm against belching, but you should apologize for it."  

"Oh," the orange-skinned girl said, now understanding.  

"Man, where is that waiter?" Cyborg asked, looking around.  "I ordered a Pepsi ages ago!" 

"Speaking of liquids," Robin said, cheeks going slightly pink as he stood up, "I really need to go relieve myself.  Be back in five."  

**********************************************************************

The trip to the bathroom went fine; it was the trip _back_ that was disastrous.  

After emptying his bladder, the leader of the Teen Titans walked down the hallway, and was grabbed by the arm halfway back to his friends.  Someone pulled him into a corner and, to his great surprise, kissed him.  

It wasn't that he never expected to kiss someone in his life; he had fans, mostly girls, but possibly some guys.  What shocked him was that this was a full-grown woman, and a very beautiful one at that.  Pulling out of the kiss, she smiled at him.  For some reason, he wasn't bothered.  

"How do you feel, child?" she asked.  

"Good," he replied, much to his amazement.  

Smiling again, the woman said, "Tell me of your secret hideout, and what is required to enter it."  

Unable to stop himself, Robin divulged the information.  When he had finished, the woman said, "Now, return to your friends, and say nothing of this meeting between us."  

Robin nodded, and then went back to the table.  

Raven, though, sensed something was wrong.  It wasn't just the way that Robin looked (like a zombie, to say the least) but the way his mind felt.  She could detect some unknown force inside his psyche.  

"Man, Robin, what took you so long?" Beast Boy asked.  

"We did," a new voice answered for Robin.  

Startled, the Titans looked up, and what they saw made them freeze in place.  

Standing only a few meters away were a good dozen individuals, each of them with the looks worn only by supervillains.  

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AUTHOR: God, I hope someone out there likes this!  

READ N REVIEW! 


	2. The Masters of Evil

The Bad Guys 

By Blackheart Syaoran 

AUTHOR: Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the wait, but DVDs, CDs, and other stuff is very time consuming.  

TO Lone Tiger: That's very generous of you.  Thanks. 

TO Noriaki Kakyoin: It's my own group, and it wasn't easy picking the right characters.  So many.  

TO Luis Silva: You don't happen to write on this site, do you?  

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Chapter 2: The Masters of Evil 

For perhaps several very long moments, nobody moved.  It seemed that even Raven had been shocked speechless.  The Titans continued to stare at the newcomers, wondering who they were and what exactly they wanted.  

Then one of the villains, who was easily holding up his ball and chain, began to twist the said chain, its links clinking and scraping against each other.  The noise caused Beast Boy's hairs to stand on end, and Starfire found her teeth grinding.  

"That's enough, Creel," the centermost villain said.  Looking back to the Titans, he said, "Now, where were we?  Ah, yes, about to kill you."  

"Dude, who _are_ you guys?" Beast Boy asked.  

"Yeah, man!" Cyborg agreed.  "You show up here, saying you caused trouble for Robin, and then say you're going to kill us?  I don't _think so_!"  

"Oh, but I do," the man replied.  "You see, when I, Baron Helmut Zemo, set my sights on a goal, I stop at nothing to get it.  And when the Masters of Evil are intent on destroying a piddling band of wannabe superheroes, nothing stands in their way."  

"How rude!" Starfire said, glaring at the Masters.  "You have no right to proclaim yourselves 'Masters of Evil,' nor do you have any right to harm us.  I do not know why are here in our city, but we will not let you cause any trouble!"  

One of the Masters, a beautiful woman with flowing blonde hair, laughed.  "The child thinks to defeat us, my dear Baron."  

"Then we shall rectify that, Amora," Zemo replied.  Jabbing a finger at the Titans, he barked, "Destroy them!"  

And the whole situation went straight to Hell.  

Leaping forward and whipping out his bo staff, Robin engaged in a furious fistfight with Zemo, who seemed to be matching him move-for-move.  

His arm reshaping itself into a sonic cannon, Cyborg rose from his seat, but one of the Masters thrust his fists forward, unleashing his own energy attack.  The blast hit the table dead center, and the explosion sent the remaining four Titans scattering into the streets.  

Forcing himself to sit up, Cyborg shook his head and looked at himself.  His armor seemed to be fine for the moment, so he stood and changed his arm into a sonic cannon.  

"Man, you guys are gonna pay for that!" he growled.  

"Don't be so sure, tough guy!" a villain responded, swiping at Cyborg with a crowbar.  "Better than you have gone up against me, and they didn't do too hot!"  

Ducking the blow, Cyborg asked, "Who _are_ you guys?"  

"Like the Baron said, we're the Masters of Evil, but I'm called the Wrecker!" the man answered, brandishing his wrecking bar menacingly.  For a costume, he wore a purple ski mask, green tunic and pants, a purple belt, and purple gloves and boots.  "And I'd like you to meet my friends."  

Cyborg realized there were two other Masters standing near the Wrecker: the one with the ball and chain, Creel, and a woman.  He found himself surprised that Creel only wore shoes and prison stripe pants instead of a costume.  The woman that was with them wore a legless purple leotard with full-length arms and a bright yellow belt-like band around her waist, as well as a facial mask that left only her mouth uncovered.  Strangely enough, the arms of her costume had spikes running down them.  

Swinging his ball, Creel approached Cyborg.  "Name's the Absorbing Man," he said, "and this is gonna hurt a lot, shrimp."  

"Oh yeah?" Cyborg asked as the Absorbing Man swung his ball forward, straight at his chest.  

Firing his sonic cannon, he hit the villain's ball.  Grinning, he looked at the Masters, expecting them to try something else, but found they were all wearing smug looks.  Puzzled, he looked at Creel, and saw to his horror that the man had turned to what seemed to be pure energy.  

Laughing, the Absorbing Man hefted his ball and chain.  "Told ya, chump!  Anything that touches me, I absorb."  

Narrowing his eyes, Cyborg said, "Guess you'll be absorbing my fist in a second, pal."  

"Not before you absorb that car my gal Titania's about to drop on you!" Creel replied, pointing over Cyborg's head.  

Turning to look, the Titan felt his jaw drop a moment before the Buick that Titania was holding up dropped onto his head.  Using his cannon, he blew apart the vehicle, and was about to retaliate when the Wrecker's crowbar smashed him in the chest with enough force to send him flying through a store window.  

**********************************************************************

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven chanted.  

In response, black energy enveloped a nearby mailbox and it ripped free from the sidewalk, hurtling at and colliding with a Master who had identified himself as the Grey Gargoyle and knocking him on his back.  The heroine had no time to cheer for herself, however, as the Master that had first scattered the group used his blasters to force Raven into aerial maneuvers.  

"Shocker's gonna shock you!" the man said, and blasted at Raven a second time.  

Dodging again, she spared a brief glance at the third enemy who had chosen to target her: the blonde woman Zemo had called Amora.  Raven could sense a monstrous amount of magic within the woman, but could not for the life of her figure out the woman's abilities; it seemed that Amora had erected a mental barrier stronger than any Raven had encountered before.  

"Come on and fight me, girl!" the Shocker yelled, his fists glowing with energy.  

"Very well," Raven replied in her usual monotone.  "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"  

Her powers seized a manhole cover this time, and sent it at the Shocker.  

It never reached him.  

The mailbox from before intercepted, and was broken to pieces as it and the manhole cover dropped to the street.  Looking at the fragments, Raven noticed with surprise that the mailbox, which had been made of metal, was now stone.  

"You had best watch yourself, child," the Grey Gargoyle said, snatching at her foot with one hand.  

Flying higher, Raven focused her powers, grabbing hold of both men and throwing them through a parked bus's window.  She then turned her attention to the remaining Master, who smiled as though pleased.  

"You shall prove a most enjoyable conquest, child," Amora said, stepping forward.  Raven noted that an outfit vaguely similar to her own: A green, legless leotard that ended at the tops of her breasts; the black leggings with connecting green circles on their fronts; green, metallic-looking armbands that reached from each arm's wrist to the bottom of the shoulders; and a sharp, green headdress.  "Come down to me, and we shall see whether a Teen Titan is capable of handling herself against Amora the Enchantress."  

Taking a stance, Raven gently probed with her mind, trying to see just what made these maniacs tick.  

The Enchantress, though, had apparently prepared for any telepathic probes on her teammates; they were shielded, so much so that Raven could not even sense them.  

Steeling herself, the Teen Titans' resident sorceress summoned up her powers.  Jabbing a hand at her opponent, she loosed a black stream— 

Which the Enchantress blocked with an easily erected barrier.  

Laughing, the woman called, "I have been at this game for far longer a time than you, dear child.  Perhaps you should try harder, or simply surrender to the inevitable.  The Masters are worthy of their name; we are not easily bested by a stripling."  

Undaunted by the words, Raven focused her powers further, using both hands.  The Enchantress merely sighed and increased her own output, though she did not use both hands.  Raven took this as a sign that the woman was perhaps extremely powerful.  

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 "Run, little bug, run!" snarled the monstrous Mr. Hyde, who brought the lamppost crashing down where Beast Boy had been standing only a moment before.  

Taking a second to catch his breath, the metamorph tried to study his three adversaries.  The largest, Mr. Hyde, wore a green overcoat that looked like it was from the 1800s, a matching pair of green pants, and a white button-up shirt underneath the overcoat.  

The second enemy, called Blizzard, wore a bodysuit that concealed every inch of skin he had, its deep blue coloring disrupted by white boots, gloves, and a white area on top of his head that extended to the middle of his back; the white also covered his shoulders and flowed down the middle of his front.  

The third villain was a woman named Yellowjacket.  She wore a yellow bodysuit with black gloves, black boots, a black bikini bottom design with a gray belt, and a strange pair of fins that rose from next to her shoulders.  The fins' black coloring flowed into an arrow symbol that rested on Yellowjacket's chest's center.  

_Why's it always me?_ Beast Boy asked himself as he dodged an ice blast from Blizzard.  "Okay, I am _really_ getting tired of _thiiiiiis!_"  

The last word was half-shrieked as Yellowjacket, who had snuck up on Beast Boy while shrunken, grabbed him from behind and swung him around.  She released him, and the green-skinned Titan had the misfortune to fly right into a fire hydrant.  

Shaking off the dizziness, he turned to look at his foes—and gave a real shriek before leaping out of the way of one of Yellowjacket's electrical blasts.  The bolt hit the hydrant, causing it to light up with a sizzling shower of sparks, some of the paint melting off.  

Gulping, Beast Boy looked at the Masters again.  Each one radiated confidence and sheer determination, so much so that it scared him—and what really frightened him was that they were confident and determined to kill him.  

_It's never my day_, he thought despondently.  _Gotta try, though_.  "Okay, ready to give up?" he asked them, deciding on a different track.  

They only laughed, except for Hyde, who wore a malevolent smile.  Then, crouching down, the large man dug his fingers into the street itself and tore a chunk out, hefting it over a shoulder.  

Beast Boy felt his courage plummet.  _Who_ is _this guy, Mammoth's dad?_  

Giving the youth a vicious grin, Hyde said, "I hope you like your dinner bloody, because that's all this kid's going to be once I crush him to bits."  

"Just get it over with," Yellowjacket said.  "You know I don't like to drag things out."  

"Yes, I do," Hyde replied with a grin.  "Lack of sadism."  

Beast Boy took advantage of their conversation, morphing into a tiger.  With a roar, he leapt at Yellowjacket, whom he considered to be the most dangerous of the trio.  A flash of claws and he was past her, the woman clutching at the light cuts on the outside of her thigh.  

"You, you little—!" she said, words failing her.  "Get him!"  

Doing just that, Blizzard attacked again, managing to freeze one of Beast Boy's arms as Hyde lunged forward, bring the chunk of asphalt crashing down.  Morphing into a gorilla, the Teen Titan's encased arm's new form breaking Blizzard's ice, Beast Boy grabbed Hyde's wrists, intent on stopping the madman.  

But Hyde only laughed.  

"I'm a _lot_ stronger than you, boy," he sneered, using the strength of his fingers to fling the chunk over his head aside.  Then, before Beast Boy could stop him, Hyde pulled him into a powerful bear hug, one that the Titan couldn't escape.  

By sheer muscle, anyway.  It seemed that Hyde indeed had superhuman strength, though Beast Boy had no idea just how strong the man was.  

_New idea_, Beast Boy thought as he squirmed, and morphed into a falcon, flying free of Hyde's clutches.  The Master attempted to grab him again, but Beast Boy soared up out of his reach.  _Time for me to show you how the Teen Titans take out the trash_.  

His plans, however, came to a frigid halt as Blizzard loosed another ice blast at him.  Though he managed to dodge that attack, Yellowjacket's shock hit him dead-on, bringing the young hero to the ground.  

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"Please stop this now!" Starfire said loudly, hoping the Masters would listen to her pleas.  

There was no such luck, however, as the man who called himself Whirlwind created another mini tornado, kicking up high-speed winds that forced the alien princess to steady herself lest she be blown out of the air.  

"You don't get it, do you, kid?" the man asked.  "We're not going to stop until you brats are pushing up daisies!"  

Knowing she had to fight, Starfire powered up and unleashed a starbolt at the tornado's center.  Miraculously, it hit Whirlwind and knocked him off his feet.  

Feeling slightly more courageous, Starfire said to the second Master, "I am not afraid to fight you as I have your friend."  As she spoke, she readied her starbolts.  

Cracking his knuckles, the Master replied, "You will be, little girl."  

And then, to her great surprise, the man began growing, quickly reaching the height of a building.  Starfire gasped as he loomed over her, easily sixty feet tall.  

"This is why I'm called Goliath," he informed her, and then drove a fist at her.  

Dodging the blow, Starfire blasted him with a starbolt, which actually succeeded in knocked Goliath back a few steps.  Growling, the giant lashed out, his enormous fist sending Starfire into an office building.  As she brushed herself clean and shook off her dizziness, he closed in, arms raised over his head with fingers interlocked.  

Moving instinctively, Starfire flew out of the building as Goliath brought his arms crashing down, destroying the structure and collapsing it to its very foundation.  

Her anger rising as she surveyed the damage, she attacked Goliath with a series of starbolts, putting just enough power into them to stun a large elephant.  

As the starbolts riddled his back, Goliath cried out, twisting and trying to grab at his back.  Starfire prepared another attack, but someone else's energy blast sizzled past her, no more than a foot from her head.  

Looking down, she saw one of Beast Boy's opponents aiming his fists at her, blue energy surrounding the said fists.  Starfire prepared her own attack, but at that moment, Goliath swatted her out of the sky.  She crashed to the street down below, making an impression in the vague shape of a human body.  

_So…weak_, she thought as she tried to rise.  It was true that she was stronger than a human, but she was no Superman.  Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to sit up, just in time for a shadow to cover her.  Squinting, she saw it was another Master, who seemed to be made of stone.  

"Time for a rest, my dear," the Grey Gargoyle sneered as he placed his right hand on Starfire's shoulder— 

And immediately turned her to stone.  

********************************************************************

Blocking one of Zemo's punches, Robin activated his comm unit.  

"Titans, retreat!" he ordered.  

Performing a leg sweep, which Robin avoided, Zemo scoffed, "It won't save you, boy.  We will never stop coming."  

Robin ignored the masked madman.  Besides, Cyborg was responding.  

"What?" the man-machine asked incredulously.  "We can't chicken out of this fight!"  

"We also can't win it!" Robin shot back.  "Not now, anyway.  We need to get our stuff together if we're going to stand a chance!"  

"Robin's right," Raven agreed.  "Besides, I need time to see what I can do about Starfire."  

"What's happened to her?" Beast Boy asked.  He sounded strained.  "She go colorblind with all these oddballs around?"  

"No, she's been turned to stone."  

At these words, Robin felt his heart all but stop.  He cared deeply for Starfire, perhaps more so than the others, and the thought of one of Zemo's little sociopaths harming her was more than he could bear.  

His ire fueling him, he landed a punch to Zemo's chin, knocking the leader of the Masters of Evil back several steps.  

"Do everyone a favor," Robin growled to his enemy, "and get somebody to do something about that pink fungus growing all over your face."  

Apparently, the words hit one hell of a chord in Zemo: He practically exploded with rage, lunging at Robin and tackling him to the floor, hands wrapping around the Boy Wonder's throat.  

"You will pay for your insolence!" Zemo screamed, his grip tightening.  

Jabbing with his fingers, Robin stabbed into the man's throat, which forced Zemo to release him and stumble about.  He clutched at his throat and began coughing, dropping to his knees.  

"Watch yourself," Robin smiled, and then made for Titans Tower.  

********************************************************************

Upon entering his home, the first sight to greet Robin's eyes was Starfire.  

_Oh my God_, he thought weakly, a pit opening up in his stomach.  As he approached the others, who surrounded Starfire, he took in more details of his stone friend: She seemed to be perfectly frozen, as though a master sculptor had carved her.  But that wasn't the case; a madman had turned his friend to stone.  

"What happened?" he asked, even though he already knew.  

"One of the Masters," Raven explained.  "He must possess the power to transmute whatever he touches.  I should know; I fought him.  He called himself the Grey Gargoyle, and he managed to turn a mailbox from metal to stone with his touch."  She shook her head.  "I don't know if he can do it with both hands or what, because I couldn't read his mind, but I know he did this to Starfire."  

"Is there any way to turn her back?" Robin asked.  "There has to be!"  

"If there is, I don't know it, not yet," Raven answered, looking back at her petrified teammate.  "I can sense her alive on the inside with my telepathy, but she's frozen.  It's like sensing a heartbeat; in a sense, she's unconscious, but alive."  

Robin nodded.  

"Is there anything we can do about it?" Cyborg asked.  "Transmute her back or something?"  

Raven shrugged.  "I honestly don't know."  

"Well I know something," Beast Boy said grimly.  "I know I don't want to see those maniacs again.  Dude, they were scary!  They tried to kill us—really murder us, man!"  

"And we have to find a way to stop them," Robin said.  "I'm going to call Batman."  

Raven cocked an eyebrow.  "You can do that?"  

"I've always had a lifeline to him."  Holding up a small device, not much different-looking than a lighter, he flipped open its lid and pressed the single red button three times.  "He'll be here—with reinforcements."  

"That's great!" Cyborg grinned.  "Maybe then we'll stand a chance against those guys!"  

"I hear that," Beast Boy said, also grinning.  "We're going to get those Masters of Idiocy!"  

Abruptly, there was a series of rapid knocks on the main doors.  It was in tune with the opening five beats of _Shave and a Haircut_.  

The last couple of knocks were performed by the now-notorious hands of Mr. Hyde tearing into, and then forcing open, the doors of Titans Tower.  

As the doors slid the rest of the way open, the Titans felt their collective spirit diminish at the sight of their latest enemies.  

"I told you we would not stop coming," Baron Zemo reminded Robin as he entered the Tower.  "Prepare yourselves, Titans.  Your time has come."  

The moment he finished speaking, someone behind the Titans gasped.  

Whirling, they were shocked to find Starfire back to flesh and blood.  

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AUTHOR: Another cliffhanger, but worth it, I assure you.  

**NEXT**: The conclusion to the battle between the Masters of Evil and the Teen Titans!  It's a shocker!  

READ N REVIEW! 


	3. Big Time

The Bad Guys 

By Blackheart Syaoran 

AUTHOR: Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the wait!  

TO Luis Silva: Just so we're clear on this: You're _The Man_.  (I mean that in a good way.)  

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Chapter 3: Big Time 

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"Kill them!" Zemo ordered.  "Raze their tower to the ground!"  

The Wrecker hefted his crowbar, charging forward, about to strike— 

—when a beam of green encased the free end of the weapon, halting the man in his tracks.  

"Who dares?" Zemo demanded.  "Who dares interfere?!"  

"That would be us," a figure in red and blue said calmly as he hovered above the ground outside the front entrance to Titans Tower.  "We were in the area when we received a distress call from Robin.  I don't suppose you'll go quietly?"  

"Dude," Cyborg breathed in awe, "it's _Superman_."  

The Enchantress eyed Wonder Woman with interest, and spoke to Zemo.  "My dear Baron, I do believe a fight against these mortals would be most interesting."  

"Oh?" Zemo asked, not taking his eyes from Superman, though he needn't; several of the other Masters kept their eyes on the Titans.  

Nodding, the sorceress pointed to Wonder Woman.  "That child has magic coursing through her very essence.  She is not like these others."  

"Then perhaps we should see if they deserve to live," Zemo said.  "Especially this one with the 'S.'  He reminds me of Captain America; both represent the American way of life."  

"Isn't that something?" Flash said.  "I think he just complimented you, Supes."  

"Of course, Captain America was the man who murdered my father," Zemo finished.  

Flash frowned.  "Okay, now I feel stupid."  

"Regardless of how anyone feels, we will not stand by idly while you hurt our friends," the Martian Manhunter informed the madman.  "Surrender is the best choice for you."  

"No," Zemo replied coolly, "destroying you is the _only_ choice for me.  Kill them all!"  

All three teams reacted at once, twelve heroes and twelve villains about to unleashed their respective furies unto each other.  

"You are _not_ taking us in our own house!" Cyborg yelled, his arm changing into its sonic cannon form again.  

His own fists blazing with power, the Shocker charged the man-machine.  Both fired at the same time, their blasts meeting head-on and canceling each other out with a flare of bright white light.  As the flare died down, the Shocker lowered his hand from his eyes to see Cyborg had vanished.  

"Where did—?" the villain began, but was cut off as the Titan decked from, hard, from the left, having launched a successful sneak attack.  

As the Shocker crumpled, Cyborg eyed the man with disdain.  "Like I said: not in _our_ house."  

************************************************************************

Yellowjacket and Hawkgirl were having a dogfight of truly epic proportions.  Every time that Hawkgirl tried to attack with her energy mace, Yellowjacket would shrink; and every time that Yellowjacket tried to use her shrunken size against Hawkgirl, the Leaguer would swing her charged mace about, making it too risky to approach.  

The only thing that seemed to be working successfully for both women was the strings of invectives each launched at the other.  Yellowjacket would curse Hawkgirl in Italian, and Hawkgirl would curse Yellowjacket in Thanagarian.  

"Gotcha!" Yellowjacket grinned as she rocketed past Hawkgirl's shoulder, snatching away the mace.  "Now let's see how good you are without this puppy."  

Spinning in a circle several times, she released the mace and watched as it embedded itself in a wall.  

"Well, that's taken care of—" she began, but was viciously interrupted.  

"Try _this_ on!" Hawkgirl snarled, smashing a porcelain vase into the other woman's mouth.  

Unfortunately for Yellowjacket, her helmet didn't prevent harm to her mouth and jaw, so the vase's fragments cut into her flesh.  Spitting out some blood, the female Master of Evil prepared to retaliate, but suddenly was bent backwards.  

"Let's see how good _your_ wings are!" Hawkgirl said, digging her foot into her enemy's back even harder and pulling as much as possible on the costume's wings.  With a loud ripping, the artificial wings were torn from the outfit, but before Yellowjacket could hit the floor, Hawkgirl caught her under the arms.  

"Can't have you dying, now can we?" the bird-woman said.  

Arcing upward, Hawkgirl slammed Yellowjacket's head into the ceiling, and then let her drop down onto a couch below.  Retrieving her mace from the wall, she grinned.  

"Nobody touches the mace."  

**********************************************************************

"Stand still, damn you!" Goliath roared.  

Swiping at the Martian Manhunter again, he watched as the green alien man slipped through his fingers unharmed.  

"Why can't you stop doing that?" the massive man barked.  He had increased his size to a towering fifteen feet in an attempt to outdo whatever abilities the green-skinned Martian possessed.  

Unfortunately, it wasn't working.  

Shooting straight at his foe's large face, the Manhunter balled up a fist and decked the Master.  Goliath's head rocked back, forcing him to take a step back as he experienced the superhuman strength of his enemy.  

Steadying himself, he rubbed his very sore jaw and growled, "What'd ya do that for?  I didn't hit ya yet!"  

Ignoring him, the Manhunter landed a walloping right cross.  Lifted off his feet, Goliath flew backwards out of Titans Tower's entrance, landing in a heap on the wide, flat dirt path leading up to the doors.  Shaking his head to clear it of dizziness, he looked up to see the Martian flying at him once more.  

Gritting his teeth, Goliath dug his fingers into the dirt and flung a fistful at his adversary.  Not expecting the tactic, the Manhunter was knocked to the ground by the large clumps of earth.  Shaking off the attack's effects, he opened his eyes to see Goliath dropping down on him from above, having leapt up into the air to deliver a powerful assault.  

Becoming intangible, the Leaguer sunk deep below the topsoil.  Goliath landed with a boom, creating a small crater and a similarly small earthquake in the immediate area.  Stepping out of his forcefully made footprints, he frowned when he saw the Martian wasn't squashed.  

"Oh, come on!" Goliath complained loudly.  "What's it take, man, what's it take?"  

"Ahem," the Martian's deep voice said from behind.  

Turning, Goliath caught a glimpse of a green fist before it collided with his visage, knocking him back several steps.  A second blow put him not only on his back, but also out of the fight.  

"J'onn!" Superman called.  "I need your help!"  

The alien didn't linger over his foe as he flew to the Kryptonian's aid.  

************************************************************************

"He's good," Batman complimented as Baron Zemo sidestepped his jab.  

"Very good," Robin confirmed as Zemo hopped over his sweep kick.  

Attacking, Zemo said, "Death is the only escape."  He threw a punch at each hero, but though both caught the attacks, Zemo twisted his hands free of their grips and, grabbing their wrists, jerked them forward.  

As they stumbled towards him, not having expected the tactic, Zemo leapt forward and drove his knees into their stomachs.  Both heroes gasped before the leader of the Masters of Evil arched himself backwards, flipping them in the process.  

"Make it easy," Zemo suggested.  "Kill yourselves.  Show the world how weak and pathetic you truly are."  

The second he finished speaking, Batman's boot slammed into his jaw, sending him into a wall.  Scowling fiercely, Zemo gave Batman a glare almost as hateful as the ones he reserved for Captain America.  

"That was spiteful, wasn't it?" Zemo asked.  "You're not really so noble behind that mask, are you?"  

"I can handle this," Batman told Robin.  "_Alone_."  

Nodding, Robin turned on heel, moving to handle the Blizzard, who was battling Beast Boy.  

"One or one million, you are no match for me," Zemo said with utter confidence.  "Your time is nigh."  

Batman ignored the words as he calmly strode forward, radiating confidence like the sun radiates heat.  

************************************************************************

The Flash was starting to get queasy.  

He had opted to fight Whirlwind, hoping to cancel out the villain's powers by running in the opposite direction.  It was a simple tactic that had stopped numerous tornadoes in his superhero career.  

Of course, he'd forgotten that a supervillain and a tornado were two entirely different things.  

"Feeling hot?" Whirlwind asked calmly as he continued to spin.  "Most people try to avoid me—they tend to notice the wrist blades I wear.  Then again, you didn't strike me as very bright."  

Flash ignored the man's chatter as best he could, trying to figure a way out of the mess he'd gotten himself into.  He needed to think of something that was being done wrong.  He thought it might be the villain's power that was beating him, but he also considered that he himself had made a mistake.  

_All I need to do is find one weakness_, he thought.  _One weakness, and I can win this_.  

He barely noticed as the Master increased his rotational speed.  

"Do you think I should just put an end to your life?" Whirlwind asked.  "I don't know if you've got a wife and kids to worry about, but if you do, I promise I'll tell them that you died like only the best did—"  

"You know what?" the Flash snapped.  "Why don't you just shut up?"  

And with that, he cranked his speed up.  

Way up.  

Way _high_ up.  

The Flash wasn't called the Fastest Man Alive just because it sounded good.  Superman was fast, absolutely, but the Flash was far faster.  The Flash was the only person on the planet who could, without assistance, climb up the speed ladder to excess of Mach 800.  

When he got there, Superman and the others were hardly even thought of anymore.  

Right now, though, the person he was up against needed to be thought of.  Or rather, kept in mind.  The Flash didn't need to think about him anymore, since he'd already decided how to handle the guy: Because he was moving at speeds that left normal people standing still, the Flash could easily take apart Whirlwind's armor.  Of course, removing the armor and weapons didn't mean depriving the villain of his power; the "whirlwind" ability could be genetic.  

Moving swiftly, the Flash was done in a tenth of a second.  

Everything reverted to normal—or as normal as it would get with Whirlwind still spinning.  

"Getting rid of my armor won't stop me!" Whirlwind gloated.  "I'm not that pathetic—GHKK!"  

The villain crumpled to the ground, unconscious.  Unfortunately, the Flash was still moving very fast when he had spoken, giving the hero time to grab a spare metal sheet pan from a local bakery.  He had stuck out in front of Whirlwind like a billboard, and things just went from there.  

"Watch out for those speed traps," the Flash grinned.  

*********************************************************************

Mr. Hyde squeezed tighter, cutting of Green Lantern's air supply.  Though the hero's ring was powerful, if he couldn't think of anything to defend himself with, he was essentially defenseless.  

"Feeling a little lightheaded?" Hyde cackled maliciously.  "It's not much longer, so don't worry."  

Lantern did his best to push the man's horrid voice from his mind, but the encroaching reality of the situation, that he might not make it this time, was starting to sink in heavily on him.  

_Gotta think of something!_ he told himself.  _Can't let him win!_  

Hyde was talking again.  "And when I get through with you, your little friends will be torn apart with my own two hands!  Especially that ugly bird-woman!"  

For John Stewart, that was the last straw.  

In this situation, against these people, he seemed to have failed to realize the thing he should never have forgotten.  It was a fact that had saved many Green Lanterns before him, and a fact that would continue to do so in the future.  John didn't always make use of this fact, but when he did, he let nothing stop him from being the hero he knew he was.  

The fact was that a Green Lantern's ring was considered _the_ most powerful weapon in the universe.  

It was capable of _anything_: Flight, transportation, supplying energy, cutting, healing, and so much more.  

John had forgotten that, with nothing but sheer strength of _will_, he could make the ring do _anything_ he wanted it to.  After all, its limits were few and far between.  

Now, he was making use of the ring's powers.  

Uttering an outcry, John brought his green aura surging back to life.  

And as the aura returned, so did John's defenses: Hyde was jolted by the electricity the ring generated, and sent stumbling back.  Confused, he looked to see his enemy flying straight at him, an emerald club swinging through the air.  

With a loud thud, the energy weapon connected to Hyde's face, lifting the villainous giant off his feet and sending him careening into the Enchantress.  Because Hyde smacked into the female with frankly tremendous force, when they both hit the wall, she was knocked completely unconscious.  

_Finally_, Raven thought, and both she and Green Lantern blasted the giant, who was starting to rise up from the heap he had landed in.  

As Hyde collapsed, the Gothic Teen Titan looked to the ring-bearer.  

"Thanks," she said flatly.  

"No problem."  

At that moment, the Grey Gargoyle, out like a light, skidded to a halt at their feet.  Shifting their eyes to where he had come from, they cocked eyebrows upon seeing a rather satisfied Cyborg, who shrugged.  

"He got on my nerves," the man-machine said simply.  

"I can accept that," John said.  

"Me too," Raven agreed.  "Shall we clean house?"  

"Let's," the men concurred.  

*********************************************************************

"Get away from me, you crazy psycho!"  

The Blizzard, usually a fairly tenacious opponent, especially when with his fellow villains, was running for his life.  He had been about to sneak attack Beast Boy when, out of nowhere, Hawkgirl had flown right at him, energy mace a-swinging.  

She'd nearly taken his head off.  

"Get back!" he yelled, shooting an artic blast over one shoulder.  

Hawkgirl easily dodged.  "And here I thought you were tough!" she laughed playfully.  

"You crazy witch!" he said, and ran faster, making for the Tower's entrance.  

Unfortunately, Starfire descended from above, hovering right in the doorway.  

"You may not leave," she told him flatly.  

The Blizzard shot at her, but she ducked her head and retaliated using her recently developed eyebeams.  The blasts hit the man's shoulder, spinning him around just as Hawkgirl slammed her energy mace into his head.  The Blizzard flew through the air, tumbling end over end, until he smacked into a wall and slid into a heap on the floor.  

"Good work," Hawkgirl complimented.  

Starfire found herself smiling.  

************************************************************************

Brandishing his crowbar menacingly, the Wrecker advanced upon Beast Boy, who was currently glued to a corner with pure terror.  

"I _hate_ kids," the Wrecker sneered as he drew closer.  "Nothing like a damn kid to make your day miserable.  All they do is whine and cry and get on your nerves.  Well guess what?  I'm gonna make sure there's one less kid in this world, and it's gonna be _you_."  

"Uh, can't we talk this over?" Beast Boy asked with nervous innocence.  

"Nah.  I'd rather beat you to death."  

And with that, the Wrecker hefted his crowbar overhead, a wide smile on his face.  

"Say your prayers, kid!" he said, and brought the crowbar down.  

But not fast enough.  

Beast Boy, using a desperate last minute gambit, morphed into an elephant and threw himself straight at the Wrecker.  Unprepared, the Master was knocked off his feet and through a wall, tumbling head over heels down the grassy terrain of Titans Island.  When he had stopped, he clutched his crowbar tight enough to have crushed a man's head, and stood up.  

"I'm gonna—!" he began, but was cut off as a massive shadow fell on him.  "Aw, crud."  

Beast Boy, having leapt into the air and morphed into a huge whale, landed on the Wrecker, practically flattening the man.  Resuming his human form, the green-skinned Titan admired his handiwork.  

"It's all in the gut," he said, and started to do the "Go Beast Boy" dance he knew the others hated.  

"Uhhhh…."  

"Ahh!"  

Beast Boy stopped dancing and leapt back.  The Wrecker gritted his teeth and, using his crowbar like a crutch, forced himself to stand.  

"'S'gonna take a lot more than that…to…stop the Wrecker," the man told Beast Boy.  

"Dude, just fall down already!" Beast Boy said exasperatedly.  

But seeing as how the Wrecker was still standing, the youth decided to just hit him again.  Morphing into an Ankylosaurus, he charged and, upon reaching striking distance, swung his tail club around as hard as possible.  It connected with the Wrecker's jaw with a sickening _crack_.  

As the Master crumpled, Beast Boy returned to human form, madly rubbing his butt.  

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" he cried.  "Man, my butt's gonna be sore for _weeks_ from that!"  

**********************************************************************

"Is that all you _got_, sissy-girl?" Titania asked maliciously, increasing her grip.  

Not one to back down, Wonder Woman also increased her grip.  The two had been locked in a contest of strength since the veritable war had begun, neither willing to concede to the other.  For Titania, it was like fighting She-Hulk; for Wonder Woman, her evil doppelganger from the corrupt League's universe.  

"Just give it up, honey," Titania said.  "You aren't going to win _this_ battle!"  

Unfortunately for Diana, Titania seemed to be correct.  The purple-leotard-clad woman's strength greatly rivaled her own, if not surpassed it.  

"Your number's up, and so are your friends'!" the evil woman cackled.  

_No!_ Wonder Woman thought.  "Hera, give me _strength!_"  

More than ever, the plea for help seemed to grant her the power she needed.  Gritting her teeth, Wonder Woman pushed forward.  

"Hey!" Titania exclaimed as she was pushed back.  Though she dug her heels in, the Amazon only applied more muscle, causing the female Master's boots to literally dig into the floor.  

Wonder Woman didn't stop, though.  She pushed harder, shoving her opponent off-balance and causing her to lower her defenses.  Diana attacked, her fists moving as fast as she could make them, each blow knocking Titania's head from side to side.  

As Titania staggered back, reeling from Wonder Woman's assault, the Leaguer removed her golden lasso and ensnared the woman.  Before Titania had a chance to realize what was happening, Diana swung her about, sending her straight through a wall.  

Not letting up, Diana repeated the maneuver again, and again, and again.  

Finally, she swung Titania over her head and pulled down, slamming the woman into the floor.  The force was hard enough to make a small crater, and as the dust cleared, Diana saw her foe was unconscious.  

"_MARY!_" a man screamed.  "_You witch!_"  

Something metal and hard immediately slammed into Diana's head, knocking her clear to the other side of the room.  Before she blacked out, she saw the man who wielded the ball and chain cradling Titania in his arms… 

**********************************************************************

Let it never be said that the Absorbing Man was a heartless man.  

Throughout his life, Carl "Crusher" Creel had been a bad man, going from criminal to supervillain.  He'd done things from threatening to outright cold-blooded murder, but no one had ever thought they'd see him do one thing in particular: Get hitched.  

Ever since they joined up and began working together, the Absorbing Man and Titania had been a duo that was quite difficult to stop.  Eventually, love had set in, and they'd married, something that had made Crusher want to go straight for life.  

Unfortunately, fate wasn't that kind to bad people.  

His villainous past, along with Titania's, forced them both to resume their criminal tendencies.  The whole time, they managed to stay married, a fact that astounded them, given the lives they lived.  

And ever since he had fallen for her, and more so since they had married, Carl Creel had always kept an eye on Titania, just in case she needed his help.  

This was one of those times.  

He had no idea who the broad with the lasso was, and frankly didn't care: The only person he cared about here was his wife, and nothing, _nothing_, was going to stop him from rushing to her aid.  

Knocking the lasso broad aside with his ball and chain, Creel all but leapt to Titania's side.  Dropping to his knees, he got the lasso off her and tossed it aside, cradling his wife in his arms.  

"I let ya down, Mary," he said, feeling his eyes go wet.  "I shoulda been watching ya a lot better than I was, and look what happened!"  

"If you're quite done with the dramatics," a cold voice said, "you're under arrest."  

Creel turned to see the both the Justice League and the Teen Titans waiting for him to make his move.  At the Batman's feet lay Baron Zemo, who appeared to have suffered quite a beating at the Dark Knight's hands.  

"Don't make this hard on yourself," Superman advised.  

Creel's expression turned to one of barely restrained hate and rage.  "You," he growled, choking out the words past the red haze in his mind, "you did this.  You hurt her."  

"And you tried to kill us," John Stewart retorted.  "Just follow Superman's advice and give up."  

The words "give up" seemed to cause Creel's temper to explode.  He was on his feet in the blink of an eye, ball and chain swinging, charging towards his enemies while screaming like a madman.  

The teams scattered, each member picking his or her mode of attack.  

The only one who charged Creel was Superman, who hoped his Kryptonian abilities would put an end to the Absorbing Man's threat.  

No such luck: As they met each other, Creel surged forward unexpectedly, his head cracking against the Man of Steel's.  Superman was sent staggering back, and then knocked to the ground as Creel's ball and chain walloped him in the chest.  

As he tried to rise, Creel slammed his weapon down into Superman's back as hard as he could, and heard a soft cracking noise.  He lifted his ball and chain, about to hit again, when Hawkgirl attacked, her energy mace connecting with his shoulder.  

The attack was totally futile.  

Creel rounded on her before she had even begun to pull away, snatching the mace from her hands.  Swinging his arm back, he delivered a brutal back-hand-style blow the sent the Winged Avenger into the Titans' couch.  

"Superman, his mind!" J'onn called to his teammate.  "It's impenetrable!  I can't affect him!"  

"That's me for ya," Creel growled.  "The Absorbing Man.  So powerful, so all-encompassing, I can absorb peoples' _minds_."  

The Flash was the next to try: He raced towards Creel like a crimson demon, moving so fast that his first hundred punches occurred almost all at once.  

Creel, though, absorbed it all: The Flash's costume, his genetic material, and, most importantly, his powers, derived from the Speed Force itself.  

As the Flash moved in for another volley, Creel vanished.  

"Huh?" the hero blinked, confused.  

"Right here!" came the villain's snarl, a fraction of a second before his fist collided harshly with the Flash's jaw.  

The speedster dropped like a sack of dirt.  

Creel, standing next to the Flash's unconscious corpus, brandished his ball and chain.  "Who else wants some?"  

Robin and Batman moved as one, both crime fighters leaping through the air—actually, it was more like slicing, as they were both doing leaping sidelong kicks.  

Their boots made contact with Creel's chest—and the heroes felt pain erupt throughout their legs.  Both dropped to the floor, clutching their terribly pained legs.  

"Forgot my name already, did ya?" Creel leered.  

"BAAAAA!" Beast Boy cried in goat form, and charged his opponent, horns aimed for the man's rear.  

Creel, though, only had to swing his ball and chain around to knock the metamorph aside and out of the fight.  

Superman used his own superspeed to drive a fist into Creel's center mass.  The man was knocked back several large steps, but appeared barely fazed.  

"Come here, pretty boy!" Creel roared, and lunged at the Last Son of Krypton.  

Catching Creel, Superman wrapped his arms around the man in an attempt to subdue him, but it seemed that Creel wasn't weakening; if anything, he was getting _stronger_.  

Breaking free of the Kryptonian's grip, Creel head-butted Superman, following up by bringing both fists down on the Man of Steel's head, and then shooting his knee up.  Superman was knocked back to his friends, and two more stepped up to bat: Raven and Green Lantern.  

Combing their efforts, they formed an energy bubble around Creel, which seemed to contain him.  

At least, it did until he put his hands on the bubble's walls.  

The emerald and ebon energies of the cage were absorbed and replicated by Creel's magical powers instantly, and he continued to absorb them, growing in size rapidly.  

"Not good," Raven said.  "He must get stronger the more he absorbs something."  

"And he's draining my ring!" John exclaimed, trying to break the beam of energy that Creel was practically devouring.  

"You don't get it, do you?" Creel bellowed.  "I'm too powerful to stop!"  

He advanced on the pair and swatted them aside like flies.  

"Too unlimited to stop!"  

He hefted his ball and chain overhead, aiming for the downed Superman.  

"Too mad to stop!" Creel thundered, and brought the weapon crashing down—only to have a sonic blast hit it midway to its target.  Instantly, Creel and his weapon were transmuted into the same energy that made up the blast.  

Briefly confused, Creel looked to where the blast had originated, and his expression turned to one of pure murder.  

"_You_," he said darkly as he eyed Cyborg.  

"Looks like you forgot about me," the man-machine told the villain.  "You may think you're invincible, but you're not.  The only thing you are is going to prison, along with your pals."  

Upper lip curling, Creel took a step towards Cyborg, only to halt.  

"What the…?" he said to himself, watching as his body changed back into flesh and blood, and then began to fade away.  

"What?" Cyborg asked, not understanding himself.  

A weak, choking laughter drew his attention to the downed Baron Zemo, who was now propped up on one elbow.  

"It seems that, although you have defeated us, we will escape to fight another day," the leader of the Masters of Evil said.  "Our final member is already withdrawing us from this dimension with his time-manipulating powers.  You cannot hold us."  

"No!" Cyborg said, barely able to accept the situation.  

"Yes," Zemo chuckled.  "You have lost, hero.  All of you have.  Today will forever belong to villainy, and to us, the Masters of Evil."  

Timing, it seemed, was part of the "final member's" powers, because right after Zemo finished gloating, he and his team faded away.  

Cyborg, feeling very hollow inside, changed his cannon back into an arm and looked to the ground, knowing he and the Justice League had been soundly defeated.  

"Damn."  

***********************************************************************

AUTHOR: Although not quite the ending many of you expected, this is how I planned it, right from the beginning.  Besides, it makes perfect sense: DC and Marvel are two different universes.  

READ N REVIEW!  


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